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Thursday, 6 September 2012

A Blank Slate

Of course new fabric isn't really blank (even if it's a solid), and maybe that's the challenge? But there's something a bit daunting about a lovely unsullied stack. Perhaps like a writer or an artist might feel with a fresh blank sheet of paper?

Field Study favourites, interspersed with a couple from the Chicopee range (voltage dot in red and ladder dot in black)

All those possibilities...

The doubts creep in: I might ruin it...

or waste it...! I feel I need to do justice to the fabric and that's a bit intimidating somehow.

I know some people (not usually quilters) who feel there's something a bit odd about taking perfectly nice, carefully designed fabric and chopping it up and sewing it back together. I sort of get that; even if I don't agree!

It doesn't look so much not folded in half again! (1/2 yd of each except the Coordinates in Midnight, of which there's 1yd)

All those possibilities...

The same as above, inverted.

Where to start...?

Well that large print Wrenly was bought with Christmas Crackers in mind, but I'm wondering if the scale is too large? The script ones are for my text cross quilt (in the pipeline).

Sometimes I'm surprised by the scale when buying from the internet. I haven't seen these lines in shops here. Not everyone online has a scale guide and I was particularly surprised by some of the Field Study fabrics. I'd pictured the Coordinates (destined for a skirt I think) as circles about 3cm in diameter and they're actually twice that, similarly with Mind's Eye. The Migratory Lace was also bigger than I'd pictured. Strangely the Sundials was as I imagined!

For now I've filed these in colour order with my other fabric and I'm really appreciating beginning to build a stash to draw from when starting a new project, or looking for inspiration. I'm still figuring out how much to buy for stash building. So far I've gone for 1/2 yd generally. What do you do?

4 comments:

Great fabrics! I've actually never purchased fabric on line! I've always been lucky to live near a quilt store. And now here in Japan I buy fabric rarely... usually in small quantities. Over the years I built a stash with fat quarters... But then I like scrappy... and the stash grew as other quilters and I exchanged scraps. It grew even more as I purchased specific fabric for specific quilts. Always some left over after a project. And backing fabric - that never goes away! I always seem to have so much extra. Therefore, I choose backing carefully, with an eye towards buying something I love that will work with other quilts in the future. I look forward to seeing what you do with these lovely modern pieces.

Oh Camilla you have good taste because I could pick up and run off with any of those lovely prints. I am keen to buy some of the 'text' print from Madrona Road before it all gets snapped up. And those shot cottons are gorgeous. I used some of them for a messenger bag and they were lovely and soft. I am so glad that you linked up through that comment at Lily's Quilts and it is lovely to have another Australian. You quilt amongst the gum tree back is inspirational. Hope to have you link up often.

Thanks Fiona! I certainly won,t be buying fabric every week, but have one or two older posts I can add if that's not cheating?! And I'm sure I will buy more fabric from time to time...!Actually I'm not Australian, I'm a NZer, but don't hold that against me! I'm very happy to have the chance to live here for a season...

A lot of online stores only sell half yard minimum cuts, but some like Lola Pink or etsy stores let you buy in fat quarters and even let you make your own FQ bundles for cheaper! I personally buy FQs when I can (or precuts to get a taste of the whole range!), half yards of favourites, and to buy a whole yard or more it must be a HUGE favourite (and on sale, lol!)As for backings, I prefer to buy specifically for each quilt project.

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